


Lost; and that's okay.

by attic_gremlin



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Linked Universe, LinkedUniverse, absolutely pure unfiltered fluff, i mean theres like one little tiny mention of injury but it's fine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:28:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27663371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/attic_gremlin/pseuds/attic_gremlin
Summary: Legend, Hyrule, Sky, and Four are lost. With no way to find their way to the others until morning, they take shelter in a cave for the night.
Relationships: Hyrule & Legend (Linked Universe)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 102





	Lost; and that's okay.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StarryDewDrops](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryDewDrops/gifts).



> Super excited to reveal another piece for Seeking's LU Artist Appreciation Project!! This piece was written for Ingrid (@Starrydewdropsart on insta) and is based on this piece here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CE0NELbJSiX/ !! Check it out and send some love her way!
> 
> I really love Ingrid's work, and this piece is no exception! I love the atmospheric lighting and shadows, and as always, her expressions are amazing! I love Legend's deadpan and Hyrule's excited grin. Those expressions were really what inspired the focus of this fic, which is Legend and Hyrule's dynamic and eventual compromise. Enjoy!

They were lost.

Completely and utterly lost. 

Legend didn’t recognize a single thing about the cave they found themselves in, Four’s only map was soaked so badly it was unreadable until it could be dried, and Sky had twisted his ankle on the way here. To top it all off, Hyrule kept wanting to go off and explore; AKA, get more lost. 

It’s not that Legend didn’t want to let Hyrule indulge in one of his favorite pastimes (even if he could never, ever, under any circumstances, understand at all why Hyrule so enjoyed not having the slightest idea where he was). It’s just that, normally, when Hyrule decided to wander off, at least the others weren’t also hopelessly lost. 

Speaking of which: has Legend mentioned yet that they were hopelessly lost? 

He, Four, Sky, and Hyrule had been saddled with firewood duty that evening. But, a storm had been brewing all day long, and it happened to choose that very moment to let loose a downpour of rain, rendering all of the firewood utterly useless, and also rendering all four heroes utterly soaked. 

It was then that Four had spotted this cave, so Hyrule and Legend ran for it, practically dragging Sky between them when a knarled root tripped him badly. The four of them subsequently lost all sense of direction as the sun set, plunging the forest into inky blackness. All hope for returning to camp that night was abandoned, as the stars—their only hope of direction in the absence of the sun—were shrouded in darkness behind the clouds.

They had no choice, now—it was either stay the night in the cave, or wander around in the rain and freeze. Legend hoped the others didn’t worry too much about them, if only because he wasn’t looking forward to the earful he’d surely get from all those worrywarts. Time could be such a Mother Cucco. 

On the other side of the cave, Sky and Four spoke too softly for Legend to hear exactly what they said. But, he was pretty sure they were consulting Four’s newly-no-longer-soaked map by the light of the small fire they’d managed to spark. There was no particular reason for them to whisper, but somehow Legend understood why they did. There was a certain peculiar sense of peace hanging in the quiet air, and none of them wanted to be the one to break it. The steady thrum of rain was accompanied by the occasional pop or crackle from a burning log, and the campfire smoke filling their lungs was edged with the earthy scent of petrichor. It was peaceful—almost sleepy. 

Or maybe Legend was just tired.

Legend and Hyrule sat back-to-back at the mouth of the cave, each one lulled by the deep, slow breathing of the other. Legend had almost pulled away instinctively when Hyrule had lazily leaned against him (careless, reckless, trusting) but barely managed to stop himself. He couldn’t let Hyrule fall, not when he expected Legend to be there to hold him up. 

(Besides, physical contact would make it easier to keep an eye on him, to make sure he didn’t wander off into the cold, dark, unfamiliar forest.)

Hyrule gave a heavy sigh. Turning his head just slightly further than was comfortable, it looked to Legend like he was gazing further into the dark cave. He’d expected the kid to be staring wisfully at the hazy forest outside its mouth, not into its dark, damp, probably-monster-infested depths. 

On second thought, he probably should have seen that coming; it was myserious, dangerous, and completely uncharted; of course Hyrule would want to explore it. 

Hyrule glanced at him, but quickly turned away when he saw Legend’s expression—he must have been broadcasting his disapproval a bit louder than he’d meant to. 

Hyrule gave another heavy sigh (this kid had to be doing that on purpose, right? No one could be this melodramatic on accident, Legend thought) and this time, Legend echoed him. He leant backward, pushing against Hyrule’s back. Hyrule got the message and sat up to lean on his arms instead of Legend. Legend heaved another resigned sigh and stood, dragging himself to the fire.

Four and Sky fell silent when he stopped right behind them, looming over their shoulders to glance at their map. There was a cave on a cliffside freshly marked in neat, loopy handwriting, which Legend recognized as Four’s. He and Sky must have figured out where they were. Legend closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

He sensed Hyrule at his elbow. 

Leaning down, Legend unceremoniously grabbed one of the branches they’d set by the fire to dry, wrapped it in a spare hanky, and sprinkled the bundle with a bit of lantern oil. He stuck it in the fire to light it, then shoved it into Hyrule’s hands. 

Hyrule looked confused.

Legend crossed his arms and tried to look stern. 

“You know the rules. There’s absolutely no wandering off until we know where we are.” He reminded Hyrule, who nodded.

Then, Legend’s shoulders sagged. He could no longer fight his tired smile.

“Unfortunately, we now know where we are.” He admitted. 

Hyrule’s face lit up and Legend lost all resolve. 

“Just don’t leave the cave, oka—” 

Legend couldn’t finish before he had a mouthful of hair and an armful of hero. Two skinny arms squeezed his middle for just a moment before they were gone, along with the rest of Hyrule, running deeper into the cave towards the unexplored. 

As Hyrule’s footsteps (and laughter) echoed off the cavernous walls, Legend heaved one last sigh. 

He supposed the kid could handle himself.


End file.
